“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes,” said Ben Franklin in the off-broadway Hamilton (it was cut in the final version, inevitably). With something so universal, the experience of death in other cultures has hardly been the key subject-matter of film get-togethers.

The Plymouth Arts Centre screen was the only independent cinema in the biggest city in the South West. It closed at the start of December. But dry your eyes, there’s still work to be done! To help its phoenix-like rebirth at Plymouth College of Art they’ve set up a crowdfunder. And they need your help…

As far as modern fairy tales go, the charming short Two Feet Tall sets new highs. It’s a tale that focuses entirely on feet but still manages to tell a story of deft emotion. Now the almost silent film will put its toe into the international market with its internet release. We spoke to director Andy Robinson about how to give direction to feet, puddle wrangling, and making a movie with soul [sorry!]

Heaps of creativity, dedication and personality goes into creating a local, community radio station. Christ Jones captures the essence of Exeter’s Phonic FM in his documentary This is Phonic. We spoke to him about getting to what’s behind the airwaves

Intelligent Life is a film about hope, scepticism and growing up in a Somerset town. We caught up with director Paddy Earle to ask what attracted him to looking for extra terrestrials in the South West

The Knockout is a kickboxing feature film being shot in Devon. As well as a gritty, emotional drama, the movie aims to promote women in film, and push the South West as a filmmaking venue. To that end it’s looking to raise £30k in a crowdfunding campaign.

Cut From Cloth is a short film that takes personal experience and expands it for dramatic effect. In the process it tugs on teams of talent for something quite special. It’s directed by Tommy Gillard, and produced by Simeon Costello to ask how the story developed and how they managed to bag such a top team.

Which movie podcast to pick, there are plenty out there, so how do you choose? One that pricked our eary interest for its free-fire bonhomie was Duke of Ted. The dukes themselves are just good ole boys… fighting the system like modern day Robin Hoods. We caught up with Ben Rothwell to find what makes the Duke of Ted tick.

A premiere at the power film fest that is Fantasia in Montreal, followed by 90 other festival screenings world-wide, while picking up 12 awards, Transmission has had a pretty successful festival run. Now the film is going online to reach out to an even more worldly wide audience.

Writer / director Steve Baldwin’s journey into the film The Ballad of Lucy Sands is a fascinating trip beyond the grave. It’s grown into a massive feature film project that has solved the murder in the process. We caught up with Steve ahead of the next stint of filmming in Cornwall, to find out about the true story that came to him in a dream